September 10

Jacopo Piccolomini-Ammannati (1422–1479) was an Italian cardinal who served as a key figure in the Roman Curia and a close advisor to Pope Pius II. A talented humanist, he authored biographies, letters, and treatises reflecting classical learning and Christian theology. Elevated to cardinal in 1460, he undertook diplomatic missions to negotiate alliances and church reforms. Jacopo patronized art and scholarship, supporting works that bridged classical and Christian traditions. His correspondence offers insight into the politics and culture of the Renaissance papacy. He died on 10 September 1479, remembered for his intellect and ecclesiastical contributions.

John Colet was an influential English theologian and Renaissance humanist. As Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, he pushed for church and educational reforms. In 1509, he founded St Paul's School in London to promote classical learning. Colet corresponded with Erasmus and championed the study of original biblical texts. His writings and lectures laid the groundwork for later Reformation thinking.

Émilie du Châtelet was a pioneering intellectual of the French Enlightenment. She studied mathematics, physics, and philosophy, collaborating with Voltaire on scientific experiments. Her 1740 French translation of Newton's Principia Mathematica remains the standard reference. Du Châtelet conducted important work on energy, proposing early concepts of kinetic energy. She authored essays on happiness, love, and the nature of science, blending reasoning with passion.

Born in 1787 in Philadelphia, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet trained as a Congregational minister before dedicating his life to deaf education. After meeting a deaf child, he traveled to Europe to study leading teaching methods and brought those insights back to America. In 1817, he co-founded the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, pioneering structured instruction for deaf students. Gallaudet blended French manual language with indigenous signs to develop what would become American Sign Language. He served as the school's principal for decades, setting standards for deaf education that endure today.

David Humphreys Storer was born in 1804 in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1825. While practicing medicine, he developed a passion for natural history and began studying the region’s aquatic life. He published landmark papers and monographs on the taxonomy and morphology of New England fishes. Storer served as a professor at Harvard and held leadership roles in several scientific societies. His meticulous observations and detailed illustrations set new standards in ichthyology. He remained active in research and teaching until his death in 1891, influencing generations of naturalists.

Born in 1822 in Montreal, Charles Boucher de Boucherville pursued a medical degree before entering the political arena. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec following Confederation in 1867. De Boucherville was appointed Premier in 1874 and again briefly in 1891, advocating conservative fiscal policies and railway development. He was knighted by Queen Victoria in recognition of his public service. Under his leadership, Quebec saw significant investment in infrastructure and public institutions. He is remembered for blending his medical background with a pragmatic approach to governance until his death in 1915.

Dmitri Egorov was a Russian mathematician and academic born in 1869. His research focused on real analysis and the theory of functions. He is best known for Egorov's theorem, which concerns the almost uniform convergence of measurable functions. Egorov held a professorship at Moscow University and influenced many students. His contributions laid important groundwork for modern developments in mathematical analysis.

Emil Julius Gumbel was a German mathematician and statistician who pioneered research in extreme value theory and introduced the Gumbel distribution. He meticulously analyzed and documented political violence in Weimar Germany, becoming a leading pacifist intellectual. Gumbel held professorships at institutions such as the University of Heidelberg, shaping the field of actuarial science. His outspoken criticism of the Nazi regime forced him into exile in France and later the United States. His dual legacy in statistical theory and human rights activism continues to inspire scholars and activists.

Erna Mohr was a German zoologist celebrated for her authoritative research on marine mammals, especially whales and dolphins. She served as curator at the Zoological Museum in Hamburg, overseeing the collection of rare specimens. Mohr published numerous taxonomic revisions and descriptive studies that remain reference points in vertebrate zoology. Her meticulous work extended to amphibians and reptiles, showcasing her broad expertise in comparative anatomy. As one of the first women in her field, she broke barriers and mentored future generations of scientists. Her legacy endures through key publications and the species named in her honor.

Son of Nobel laureate J.J. Thomson, George Paget Thomson confirmed the wave nature of electrons through electron diffraction experiments. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1937 for his contributions, complementing his father's work on electron particles. Thomson held professorships at the University of Aberdeen and Imperial College London, influencing generations of physicists. During World War II, he contributed to radar research and defended Britain's scientific efforts against threats. His work laid the foundation for modern electron microscopy and advanced quantum mechanics.

Felix Bloch developed the theoretical framework for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), demonstrating how atomic nuclei resonate in a magnetic field. He shared the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physics for this breakthrough, which later revolutionized medical imaging as MRI. Bloch held academic positions at Stanford University, leading research that advanced quantum mechanics and solid-state physics. During World War II, he contributed to the Manhattan Project's theoretical efforts on nuclear chain reactions. His pioneering work in magnetic resonance spectroscopy remains foundational in physics, chemistry, and medicine.

Born in 1893, Öpik made significant contributions to the study of meteors, asteroids, and stellar interiors. He proposed early theories on the origin of craters and the presence of an Oort cloud of comets surrounding the solar system. Working at Tartu Observatory and later at Armagh Observatory, he published key research on cosmic dust and planetary impacts. His methodologies advanced astrophysics and planetary science, influencing generations of astronomers. Öpik emigrated to Ireland during World War II, continuing his research until his death in 1985.